O Physics

Virtual labs and simulations: Where to find
them and tips to make them work

Cite as: Phys. Teach. 58, 444 (2020); https://doi.org/10.1119/10.0001853
Published Online: 02 September 2020
James Lincoln
Phys. Teach. 58, 444 (2020); https://doi.org/10.1119/10.0001853 58, 444
© 2020 American Association of Physics Teachers.

James Lincoln, Column Editor,
technology in the classroom PhysicsVideos.com, Newport Beach, CA 92658
Virtual labs and simula-

tions: Where to find them
and tips to make them work
James Lincoln, Southern California Section of AAPT,
james@physicsvideos.com
I n this article I focus on ready-to-go online labs with no

plug-ins or additional software required; students just go
straight to the website. This means no Flash, no Java, no apps,
but yes, HTML5 and JavaScript. Then teachers can deliver
their instructions (perhaps over video chat). Below I have
listed my personal favorite simulated lab websites, with a
more extended list appearing in the online appendix to this
article. My personal criteria for a good lab simulation would
be one that gives the feeling that you are performing the actu-
al experiment (Fig. 1). It should be immersive, engaging, and Fig. 1. On PhysicsClassroom.com, a virtual experiment gives
require almost no instruction to take the data. the authentic feeling one gets when performing the actual lab
A recent article1 reported that what quarantined instruc- on double-slit diffraction; the screen is dragable.
tors are finding the most challenging is “providing students
with a similar experience to the in-person labs.” To mitigate
this problem, we can approach the simulated lab with the
same inquiry style2 we apply to our physical labs: make obser-
vations, collect data, graph and analyze results, evaluate mea-
surement error, and ultimately draw surprising conclusions
about the physical world. However, because these simulations
are on computers, we often can generate real-time data to aid
mathematical intuition (Fig. 2). Yet, we also run the risk of
students believing that the simulation is the real physics and
missing the valuable experiences of real labs. One remedy for Fig. 2. A simulation from ophysics.com shows a moving car
this is that, since physical reality is our goal, the simulations tracing both its position and velocity graphs in real time while
should be coupled with videos of the phenomenon. However, the familiar kinematic equations are displayed.
experience and research suggest that live teacher-performed
demonstrations are probably much better.3 no data, just observations. However, some simulations
allow for students to get enough data to create a graph.
Tips for delivering an effective virtual lab These can be fitted with a best-fit curve, and fulfill the
1. Provide the background information data analysis skills requirements of a laboratory course.
A paragraph, possibly with formulas, describing the 5. Go further, invent a new experiment
phenomenon, depending on your style, that briefly de- The teacher may or may not provide new variations on
scribes the phenomenon and apparatus. the experiment such as, “How does molecule type affect
2. Perform a real demo of the experiment or activity a pressure vs. temperature graph?” However, students
When teaching over video, show the experiment or do are usually creative enough to suggest their own. It
a demonstration of the phenomenon so students better helps to have a second simulation website for this type of
understand what they are simulating. original work.
3. Simulation link with “pre-lab” instructions 6. Compare results in a “breakout session”1
Give them a chance to play with the simulation and take This is something that we often do in our real courses
sample data. Provide basic instructions such as “change and it can help create a community of learners in our
the temperature and observe the molecules.” virtual classrooms. Many web conferencing programs
4. Take data, make a chart, graph, and analyze have this feature.
If the simulation is just an “activity,” then there will be
444 THE PHYSICS TEACHER ◆ Vol. 58, September 2020 DOI: 10.1119/10.0001853
technology in the classroom
Some of my favorite simulations – sorted by
content area – longer list in online appendix6 Featured FREE Collections of Excellent
Virtual Experiments
Vectors, Measurement, Kinematics, Projectiles
ophysics.com – Content by Tom Walsh using
ophysics.com/k11.html
GeoGebra4
physics.bu.edu/~duffy/HTML5/Galileos_ramp.html
PhET.colorado.edu – Many labs are now browser
www.explorelearning.com/index.cfm?method=cResource.
friendly and work without Java5
dspView&ResourceID=385
PhysicsClassroom.com – So much content here
ophysics.com/k6.html
and the interactives are great
www.thephysicsaviary.com/Physics/Programs/Labs/
GraphingOfMotionLab/ Other Good FREE Collections to browse
https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/projectile-motion Physics.bu.edu/~duffy/HTML5 – Andrew Duffy’s
HTML5 mini-labs
Newton’s Laws
Academo.org – Some of the best web-based
experiments; try Wave Interference and Beat
Frequency
ThePhysicsAviary.com – Hundreds of cute, color-
ful experiments
ForcesOnInclineLab/ Walter-Fendt.de/html5/phen – Walter Fendt’s
https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/forces-and yellow HTML5 mini-experiments
-motion-basics Vascak.cz/physicsanimations.php?l=en –
https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/masses-and-springs Beautifully colored physics simulations
https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/pendulum-lab MW.concord.org/nextgen/#interactives/physics –
NGSS-aligned physics sims
Centripetal Force
www.vascak.cz/data/android/physicsatschool/template. Paid / Subscription Websites to Explore
php?s=kv_pohyb_po_kruznici&l=en and Consider – (free trials)
www.physicsclassroom.com/Physics-Interactives/Circular- www.pivotinteractives.com – Direct measure-
and-Satellite-Motion/Race-Track ment labs with excellent video
Kepler’s Laws and Gravitation www.explorelearning.com – Some of the best
https://www.simbucket.com/satellite/ simulations that I have found
http://physics.weber.edu/schroeder/software/ www.edumedia-sciences.com – Beautiful
NewtonsCannon.html animated sims, try “bimetallic strip”
Energy and Momentum Conservation
References
1. Michael F. J. Fox, Alexandra Werth, Jessica R. Hoehn, and H.
EnergyTransformationLab/ J. Lewandowski, “Teaching labs during a pandemic: Lessons
www.thephysicsaviary.com/Physics/Programs/Labs/ from spring 2020 and an outlook for the future,”
ImpulseLab/ https://arxiv.org/abs/2007.01271.
www.myphysicslab.com/engine2D/newtons-cradle-en.html 2. Patricia Blanton, “Three questions can change your labs for
the better,” Phys. Teach. 47, 248 (April 2009).
ophysics.com/e2.html
3. D. L. Schwartz, J. M. Tsang, and K. P. Blair, The ABCs of How
http://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/energy-skate-park- We Learn (Norton, 2016), p. 308.
basics/latest/energy-skate-park-basics_en.html 4. Tom Walsh, “Creating interactive physics simulations using
Torque and Rotational Dynamics the power of GeoGebra,” Phys. Teach. 55, 316 (April 2017).
https://www.vascak.cz/data/android/physicsatschool/tem 5. C. E. Wieman, W. K. Adams, P. Loeblein, and K. K. Perkins,
plate.php?s=mech_stabilita&l=en “Teaching physics using PhET simulations,” Phys. Teach. 48,
225 (March 2010).
http://ngsir.netfirms.com/j/Eng/momentBalance/moment
6. Readers can view the appendix at TPT Online, http://dx.doi.
Balance_js.html org/10.1119/10.0001853, under the Supplemental tab.
https://www.physicsclassroom.com/Physics-Interactives/
Balance-and-Rotation/COM-Builder
ophysics.com/r9.html and ophysics.com/r8.html
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Virtual labs and simulations: Where to find

them and tips to make them work

Phys. Teach. 58, 444 (2020); https://doi.org/10.1119/10.0001853 58, 444

© 2020 American Association of Physics Teachers.

Virtual labs and simula-

I n this article I focus on ready-to-go online labs with no

THE PHYSICS TEACHER ◆ Vol. 58, September 2020 445

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